Girls creator and star Lena Dunham earlier condemned the hacking, describing whoever was behind it as a "sex offender".

Jennifer Lawrence, Ariana Grande and Victoria Justice are among the celebrities whose pictures were reported to have been hacked, although Grande and Justice have both dismissed images which appear to show them as fakes.

The source of the leak has claimed to have obtained as many as 60 private images of Lawrence.

A representative for the Hunger Games star has confirmed the authenticity of the images, threatening legal action against anyone who posts or publishes the stolen photos online.

Scarlett Johansson was the victim of a separate hacking incident back in 2011, and the guilty party Christopher Chaney was ultimately sentenced to ten years in custody.